Two South Asian Lawyers Among 40 Recognized With Queen’s Counsel Designation

Nitya Iyer, who specializes in constitutional and administrative law and corporate and securities lawyer Noordin Sadrudin K. Nanji made the cut that included no Punjabi lawyers for the prestigious designation. The QC designation is conferred each year on members of the legal profession to recognize exceptional merit and contribution. Successful candidates are nominated by their peers and have been members of the B.C. bar for at least five years.

By R. Paul Dhillon

VICTORIA – Two South Asians lawyers (no Punjabis) are among 40 British Columbia legal beagles who have been appointed the honorary title of Queen's counsel, or QC, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton announced Friday.

Nitya Iyer, who specializes in constitutional and administrative law and corporate and securities lawyer Noordin Sadrudin K. Nanji made the cut that included no Punjabi lawyers for the prestigious designation.

Iyer works on complex, significant issues of constitutional and administrative law, human rights and information and privacy topics that are relevant and important to ensure access to justice in a diverse society. Since 2011, she has been a partner at Lovett Westmacott in Vancouver.

Iyer has argued eight times in the Supreme Court of Canada and has been appointed to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, as Equal Pay Commissioner of the Northwest Territories and was recently one of three members of the Dalhousie Task Force on Sexism, Misogyny and Homophobia in the Dental Faculty.

Noordin Sadrudin K. Nanji is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP and is part of the firm’s Vancouver Corporate and Securities Group, which provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, the formation and financing of business ventures and other complex commercial transactions. He also serves as a member of the firm’s National Partnership Board. Prior to joining the firm he was a partner at Lang Michener and was a senior officer of Ballard Power Systems from 1998 to 2009.

Nanji has mentored dozens of young lawyers and has a long history of community services including the United Way of the Lower Mainland and is currently Chairman of the Vancouver General Hospital & UBC Hospital Foundation.

Other appointees include lawyers who specialize in First Nations law, criminal law, commercial litigation, family law and mediation. The appointees have distinguished themselves by their commitments to continuing legal education, community volunteerism and mentorship of new legal professionals.

The QC designation is conferred each year on members of the legal profession to recognize exceptional merit and contribution. Successful candidates are nominated by their peers and have been members of the B.C. bar for at least five years.

After the call for nominations in August, an advisory committee reviewed applications and recommended candidates to the Attorney General. The appointments were made by cabinet through orders-in-council.

"The recipients of the honour of the QC designation have enriched the justice system with their contributions to the practice of law. They have demonstrated professional integrity and dedication to their profession and have made valuable contributions as volunteers to communities across the province. This is a highly coveted honour, particularly because the recipients are nominated by their peers," said Anton.

Quick Facts:

* The first Queen's counsel was in 1594 when Queen Elizabeth I reserved Francis Bacon as her legal advisor.

* There were 179 nominations for this honour this year in B.C.

* Only 7% of practising B.C. lawyers can be awarded the designation of QC.

* Currently there are 489 QCs out of 11,245 practising members of the bar.

* The advisory committee for Queen's counsel appointments includes:

* The Chief Justice of B.C.

* The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of B.C.

* The Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of B.C.

* The president of the Law Society of B.C. (LSBC)

* The president of the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch (CBABC)

* A Law Society of B.C. member appointed by the benchers (directors) and

About the Author

Raj Paul Dhillon is an award winning journalist based in Vancouver, Canada. He received his second National Best Editorial Award from the National Ethnic Media and Press Association of Canada, presented to him by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on November 21, 2010 in Toronto.
Aside from an extensive writing/editing work with a number of newspapers and magazines (currently the editor of the South Asian LINK newspaper, the oldest South Asian newspaper in Canada), he has also done freelance writing for mainstream publications like The Vancouver Sun and Georgia Straight newspapers. He holds a degree in Communications and in Film from Simon Fraser University.

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